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The Washington Capitals have signed GM Brian MacLellan to a contract extension.

MacLellan has been serving as the Capitals' general manager since May 26, 2014. The Capitals have made the playoffs in three straight seasons and they're expected to clinch again this year. However, Washington still hasn't managed to get past the second round in the Alex Ovechkin-era, and their lack of playoff success continues to be the major issue there. We'll see if this year proves to be different. Mar 9 - 2:13 PM

Barry Trotz will coach in his 1500th NHL game Saturday night when the Capitals face off against the Blackhawks.

That ranks fifth all-time and third amongst active coaches, behind only Ken Hitchcock and Joel Quenneville. Trotz's overall record is 746-559-60-134. Pretty impressive numbers given Trotz's first gig was a 16-year post with the expansion Nashville Predators long before they were an NHL power. Feb 17 - 1:23 PM

The 2017 Prospect Tournament scheduled to be played in Estero, Florida has been canceled.

The tournament would have featured prospects from the Washington Capitals, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning. However, Hurricane Irma might hit Florida, which is what prompted the tournament to be canceled. Wed, Sep 6, 2017 11:26:00 AM

Capitals GM Brian MacLellan remains upbeat about the team's chances in 2017-18 despite all the players they've lost this summer.

Due in large part to salary cap issues, Washington will be going forward without Justin Williams, Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Marcus Johansson. The Capitals still have an impressive core that includes Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Nicklas Backstrom, but the squad's supporting staff looks decidedly thinner. "I think we’ve got good young guys coming up," MacLellan said. "If I look at our lineup, I think [Andre] Burakovsky is going to play a bigger role. I mean, I liked Burakovsky, Backstrom, Oshie last year near the end. They had a couple of good games and looked good together. Kuzy is going to get better as we go here. We’re going to give [prospect Jakub] Vrana a shot; he has a legitimate ability to play in a top-six level. I think Vrana on his first call-up played really well with Kuznetsov. And on his second, he kinda faded a little bit." We'll see how that shakes out for the Capitals. They definitely are still a competitive team, but it does fe Tue, Jul 4, 2017 06:47:00 AM

Depth Charts

Nicklas Backstrom scored a goal and an assist in Friday's 6-3 win over the New York Islanders.

Backstrom gave the Capitals a 2-1 lead in the second period when he converted on a 5-on-3 power play opportunity. He also helped set up Matt Niskanen's tally later on in the frame to make it 3-1. Backstrom finished the night with a plus-1 rating, four shots on goal and a blocked shot in 19:04 of ice time. The 30-year-old now has 19 goals and 56 points in 70 games this season. T.J. Oshie, Alex Chiasson, Jakub Vrana and Lars Eller also found the back of the net for the Capitals in the victory. Unfortunately for Washington, they lost Evgeny Kuznetsov to an upper-body injury in this one.

Evgeny Kuznetsov (upper body) is doubtful for Tuesday's game against Dallas.

Kuznetsov skated Monday before practice after he missed Sunday's contest versus Philadelphia. He suffered an upper-body injury in Friday's game against the Islanders. Kuznetsov is listed as day-to-day.

Eller's goal tied the game at one with 1:05 remaining in the first period. Andrea Burakovsky then gave the Caps a 2-1 advantage heading into the third period. Washington held onto that one-goal late in the third frame, but that's when they allowed the Panthers to score twice in under three minutes. Eller has now scored in back-to-back games. He has 13 goals and 31 points in 60 games this season.

Chandler Stephenson will be a healthy scratch in Friday's game against the New York Islanders.

Stephenson has five goals and 16 points in 56 games with the Caps this season. He's now been scratched for the second time in his last five games. Brett Connolly and Jakub Jerabek will also watch the game from the press box. None of these three players will carry any fantasy value going forward.

A goal and assist from Alex Ovechkin were not enough to lift the Capitals past the Flyers on Sunday.

Ovechkin's 43rd goal of the season was not enough to hold of Philadelphia, who now move within four points of the Capitals in the Metropolitan Division race. Ovie now has 78 points in 72 games this season.

Brett Connolly scored two goals in the Washington Capitals' losing effort on Thursday night as they fell to the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in overtime.

Connolly is having a pretty good season as he now has 12 goals and 15 points in just 37 games so far. The 12 goals are just three off his career-high of 15, a number he attained in last season. The winger now has three goals in his last five games.

Vrana showed incredible hand-eye coordination to bat the puck out of mid-air from behind the net for his 12th goal of the year. The former 13th overall pick is slowly improving and could be a guy worth monitoring heading into next season. He's now up to 23 points in 61 games this season.

T.J. Oshie scored a pair of goals for the Capitals in a 7-3 win against the Islanders on Thursday.

Oshie had scored just one goal in the span of 33 games before this contest. He now has 14 goals and 38 points in 64 games this season. Nicklas Backstrom scored a goal and registered two assists to extend his point streak to three games. Andre Burakovsky had a goal and an assist for Washington. Lars Eller and John Carlson also found the back of the net. Evgeny Kuznetsov assisted on three of the Capitals' seven goals.

That snapped Burakovsky's seven-game point drought. He's been limited to nine goals and 19 points in 44 contests this season and has spent some time as a healthy scratch. Maybe the 23-year-old will bounce back next season, but he doesn't have much fantasy value as things currently stand.

Although Wilson did not practice Friday after getting a puck to the face in Thursday's contest against the Kings, he will be in the Washington lineup against San Jose. He will likely line up on the Caps' top line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Make sure you have Wilson active early as puck drop is 4:00 pm ET.

Peluso has no points in three AHL games this season. The 28-year-old has appeared in 142 career NHL games, but none since the 2015-16 campaign. He has 14 points and 209 penalty minutes in his 142-contest NHL career.

Carlson found the back of the net in Washington's 7-3 win against the Islanders on Thursday. That gives him 13 goals and 56 points in 70 contests this season. He ranks second in the defensemen scoring race behind only John Klingberg.

Matt Niskanen notched a goal and an assist in Sunday afternoon's 4-3 loss to Vegas.

Nikanen assisted on a goal by Chandler Stephenson to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead and he gave the team a 2-1 with his fourth marker of the year in the second period. However, the Golden Knights kept battling back and eventually got the game winner late in the third. Nicklas Backstrom had the other goal for Washington in the loss.

Christian Djoos will be a healthy scratch in Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators.

It's the first time Djoos serves as a healthy scratch since the beginning of the season. The 23-year-old has three goals and 14 points in 54 games this season. Jakub Jerabek, who was acquired from Montreal last week, will take his spot in the lineup. Madison Bowey, Alex Chiasson and Travis Boyd will also watch from the press box.

Michal Kempny won't play Tuesday night, but is slated to make his Capitals debut on Thursday against Florida.

Capitals GM Brian MacLellan feels Kempny will slide nicely into the team's top-four defense group alongside John Carlson. "I think [Coach Barry Trotz] is probably a little more conservative on it, but I think [Kempny] will got a shot at playing there and we will see how it does with it," MacLellan said.

Braden Holtby turned aside 22 of 25 shots in Friday's 6-3 win over the New York Islanders.

This was his first start after sitting for four consecutive games. The stat line doesn't jump off the page, but it's important to note that all three goals he allowed came while his team was shorthanded and two of New York's three tallies were scored with the game well in hand in the third frame. The victory was Holtby's first since Mar. 3. He now owns a 30-15-4 record with a 3.03 goals-against-average and a .906 save percentage this season. Head coach Barry Trotz didn't confirm that we'd see Holtby get the start on Sunday, so that'll be a situation to monitor this weekend.